Saturday, May 19, 2012

The US government is looking at creating a 'fat tax' that would set a tax on any foods which have unhealthy fats in them. Currently a tax of around twenty percent is being considered.

Health researchers say that such a tax would reduce obesity, just as taxes on cigarettes have cut down on smoking. They suggest that obesity could be cut by three and a half percent.

Some European nations, such as France and Denmark, have already put such taxes in to place.

Sodas specifically would be a target of such a tax, as the sugar they contain increases appetite, instead of satisfying it.

However, according to economic studies, such a tax would hurt food industries and cause mass job loss.

Politically such a move could be dangerous as well. Any kind of tax increase could be difficult to force upon Americans who are already growing increasingly unhappy with their government's attempts to take more and more control of their lives.